Êxodo 1

Os descendentes de Jacó no Egito

1 Ora, estes são os nomes dos filhos de Israel que entraram no Egito; entraram com Jacó, cada um com a sua família: 2 *Gn 46.8-27Rúben, Simeão, Levi e Judá, 3 Issacar, Zebulom e Benjamim, 4 Dã e Naftali, Gade e Aser. 5 Todas as almas que saíram da coxa de Jacó eram *Gn 46.27setenta. José, porém, já estava no Egito. 6 *Gn 50.26Morreu José, e todos os seus irmãos, e toda aquela geração. 7 Depois, os filhos de Israel *Gn 28.3;35.11;46.3;47.27;48.4;At 7.17frutificaram, aumentaram muito, multiplicaram-se e fizeram-se fortes duma maneira extraordinária; e a terra ficou cheia deles.

Os seus sofrimentos

8 Entretanto, se levantou sobre o Egito *At 7.18-19um novo rei que não conhecia a José. 9 Ele *Sl 105.25disse ao seu povo: Eis que o povo dos filhos de Israel é mais numeroso e mais forte que nós. 10 Vinde, usemos de astúcia para com eles, para que não se multipliquem e para que não aconteça que, havendo guerra, se unam com os nossos inimigos, pelejem contra nós e se retirem da terra. 11 Portanto, puseram sobre eles *Êx 3.7;5.6feitores para, com cargas, os afligirem. E os israelitas edificaram para Faraó as *1Rs 9.19;2Cr 8.4cidades-armazéns, Pitom e Ramessés. 12 Mas quanto mais os egípcios vexavam aos israelitas, *Êx 1.7tanto mais estes se multiplicavam e se espalhavam. Os egípcios aborreciam aos filhos de Israel 13 e os faziam *Gn 15.13;Dt 4.20;Êx 5.7-19servir com rigor; 14 amarguravam-lhes a vida com serviços penosos de barro e de tijolos e de toda sorte de trabalhos nos campos, com todas as suas tarefas, com que foram obrigados a servir com rigor.

As parteiras desobedecem ao rei

15 O rei do Egito falou às parteiras hebreias, das quais uma se chamava Sifrá, e a outra, Puá; 16 e disse: Quando servirdes de parteira às mulheres hebreias e as virdes sobre os assentos, *At 7.19se for filho, matá-lo-eis; mas, se for filha, deixá-la-eis viver. 17 Mas as parteiras *Êx 1.21temeram a Deus e não fizeram como lhes havia ordenado o rei do Egito; antes, deixaram os meninos viver. 18 Então, o rei do Egito mandou chamar as parteiras e lhes perguntou: Por que tendes feito isso e deixado os meninos viver? 19 Responderam as parteiras a Faraó: Porque as mulheres hebreias não são como as egípcias; pois são vigorosas e já dão à luz antes que a parteira chegue a elas. 20 Fez Deus bem às parteiras; e *Êx 1.12o povo aumentou-se e tornou-se extraordinariamente forte. 21 Porque as parteiras *Êx 1.17temeram a Deus, ele lhes estabeleceu as casas. 22 Ordenou Faraó a todo o seu povo, dizendo: *At 7.19A todos os filhos que nascerem, lançá-los-eis *Gn 41.1no rio; mas a todas as filhas, deixá-las-eis viver.

1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already. 6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, "Behold,*1:9 "Behold", from "הִנֵּה", means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection. the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and escape out of the land." 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel. 13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.

15 The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, 16 and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared God,*1:17 The Hebrew word rendered "God" is "אֱלֹהִ֑ים" (Elohim). and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive. 18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?"

19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. 21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."